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OPOP nears completion

In a little more than a week, the Old Post Office Playhouse in Newton will hold its first production.
But before actors in "The King and I" take the stage, a few final adjustments must be made to the building.
Sherry Butler, Green Room Community Theatre executive director, said she hopes the facility will be complete at the end of the week.
"The main thing right now is the certificate of occupancy," Butler said. "The rest is just cleaning and putting carpet down."
The building was scheduled to be inspected Monday for its certificate of occupancy.
"I'm sure there will be some issues, and we'll correct those," Butler said.
Opening night for the theatre's first production in the OPOP is scheduled for Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
"It's a dream come true," Butler said. "I don't think any of us involved in the theatre will really recognize it until we get to utilize it. Until they're standing here, on the stage, performing with a crowd in the audience, it won't hit them."
Although most everything in the OPOP is new, a few things remain to remind the facility's visitors about the building's past.
Inside the building's gallery is a collection of old post office boxes left over from the building's days as a post office.
"There's a few design elements, as well, that will go with the old post office design," Butler said.
Crews worked Monday to make final adjustments to the theatre's lighting system, which will bathe actors in brilliantly colored lights as they perform on stage.
The auditorium has seats for an audience of 376, and the stage, complete with a fly system for moving props and backdrops, is almost 2,000 square feet.